Animal-weaning device



W. F. KOLARIK. ANIMAL WEANING DEVICE. .AAPPLICATION FILED 8.1711921.

1,400,750, Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

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WENUEL F. KOLARIK, 033 ,QMENA, MICHIGAN.

ANIMAL-WEANING DEVICE.

Application filed February 17, 1921. Serial No. 445,835.

T 0 all whom it may con cern Be it known that I, VVnNonL F. KoLz-inrir, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Omena, in the county of Leelanau and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Weaning Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in animal weaning devices particularly adapted for use in connection with calves soas to permit the animal to graze or eat food from a receptacle or the like, while preventing access to the mother animal.

The principal object of the invention is to greatly simplify devices of this character so that the same may be cheaply and easily manufactured as well as readily placed into use.

Another object of the invention is to provide side prodding bars with yieldable free end portions or members of blunt formation so as to avoid injury of the mother animal as is experienced incidentto the use of spurs and the like embodied in prior devices of this character.

"With the above general objects in view, and others that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a weaning device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view drawn one larger scale and shown partly in longitudinal section along the line TTTI of Fig.1, and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional iew of the throat bar and adjacent parts taken upon the line Ill-Jill of Fig. 1.

Referring more in detail to the several views, the present invention embodies an inverted U-shaped member or neck yoke 5 with its ends slidably passing through transverse openings 6 provided in the end portions of animals nose.

2. throat bar 7 the inner sides of the ends of the yoke 5 being provided with a series of notches 8 adapted to be selectively enga ed wlth the sliding latches 9 for holding the yoke 5 in a desired adjustable relation to the throat 7. The latches 9 are in the form of sliding bolts having pin and slot guiding means 10 and disposed in a recess 11 otthe throat bar 7, a compression spring 12 being interposed between the twolat'ches to normally project them into the notches 8. Each latch 9 is provided with an outwardly extending finger piece 13 so that when the finger pieces are pressed toward each other, both of the latches 9 will be simultaneously released from the opposite ends of the yoke 5 for permitting adjustment of the latter relative to the throat bar 7. It will, of course, be seen that by adjusting the yoke 5 relative to the throat bar 7, the opening bounded by these members will be correspondingly increased or diminished in size so as to comfortably fitthe neck of the animal.

A pair of prodding bars 14 are fixed to the throat bar 7 at their rear ends, one bar 1d b mg lined in each end of the throat bar 7 in any suitable manner so that the bars 1% converge forwardly and are disposed to lie at the sides of the animals nose as well as to project forwardly beyond the same. As shown. the ends of the prodding bars 1 1 are inserted in sockets 15 provided in the ends of the throat bar 7, and they are retained in place by means of'nails or other fastening devices 16.

A nose ring or loop 17 is secured as at 18 to the intermediate portions of the prod ding bars 1% for reception of the nose of the animal so as to properly hold the device with the bar 14 extending along the side of the The forward ends of the bars 14 are preferably socketed as at 19, and a transverse pin 20 extends transversely through each socket 19 with its ends rigidly fixed to the bar 14. A stem 21 is slidably:

disposed in each socket 19, and this stem is provided with a longitudinally elongated slot 22 through whichthe pin 20 projects for limiting the sliding movement of the stem .21. The stem 21 is integral with a blunt ended prodding member 23 which preferably consists of' a head upon the outer end of the stem. 21, and this head is normally pressed outwardly by means of a spring 24. which is interposed between the end edge of the rod 1d and the head 23 as shown in Fig. 2, the spring 24 being preferably of helical form and surrounding the stem 21.

It will be seen that the present device is of extremely simple and durable construction as well as capable of being readily adjusted to animals of different sizes, and it would also be seen that the prodding members 21, 23

will readily yield upon engaging the mother animal so as to avoid injuring her, while at the same time taking her by suflicient surprise to scare her away. It is believed that the construction and operation of the present invention, as well as the advantages thereof, will be readily understood and appreciated from the foregoing descriptionby those skilled in the art. 7

'Minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

An animal weaning device comprising a throat bar, a neck yoke having its ends slidable through said throat bar, means to retain the yoke against sliding movement rela- WENGEL F. KOLARIK. WVitnesses g G. S. WHITMonn, CLARA VRUFLI. 

